Wednesday, July 21, 2010

No, I do not have any fruit.........or do I ??

The guys and I went to Xepol today for a clinic. We had a small clinic today but things should not always be measured in numbers..........there are always opportunities.

We had a 14 year old boy that seems to be having seizures. His mom took him to a physician and was told it is his "nerves" that are causing him problems. He was not given any medicine or treatment. He has these events 2-3 times a week and at times is very combative. His mom told us that he beats on his dad and the children in the school so they had to remove him from classes.

He was shy and withdrawn but his mom always talked for him. I wanted to get him to talk to me. Once I started examining him, he opened up a little more. He told Gaspar and I that he would like to go go to school but his mom won't let him. We talked about his hitting people and being so aggressive. We will see him in two weeks and hopefully, we will get a good report.

If you were able to read yesterdays blog about why I enjoy living in Guatemala, this is a perfect example. Here, I am able to talk about God and the church. We are able to pray with the family and the patient. We invited them to worship with the church there in Xepol. When the brother from the local church heard us talking with the mother, he came over and offered a special invitation.

Who knows what may happen from this today? Maybe I am overly optimistic or maybe not. Maybe he will eventually get to go to school again..........no problem with dreaming big, right??

On the way home the guys were hungry so we stopped to get something to eat. I grabbed a Coke and found some plums that looked really good. I bought a pound of them and attached them to the outside of my backpack.

When we started down the road toward Chichi and then we entered the fruit inspection area. The guys and I always joke and ask each other if we have fruit and the answer is always negative..........so I answered the same out of habit, "No, I do not have any fruit."

Well, the inspectors asked if they could open the door and I answered, "Sure!" There went my plumbs, which I honestly had forgotten about. If I was trying to smuggle them, I would have placed them inside my backpack.

As we drove away, Juan asked us what we thought they did with the fruit. Gaspar and I just laughed as we both said, "They are eating the plumbs right now!"

About Me

I am Sheri Kretzschmar and I am serving in Guatemala with Health Talents International. I am a nurse from Winston-Salem, NC and currently live in Chichicastenango. We are working with the local Churches of Christ as we conduct mobile medical clinics in the surrounding communities. It is our prayer that we will share the love of God and demonstrate the compassion of Jesus.